Fan Friday 1 Year Anniversary

It's here, it's here! Fan Friday's 1 year anniversary! Since I somehow forgot to freeze the top of a cake to eat in celebration, I'm going to answer the questions you asked me last week instead! Seems like a more sanitary and health-conscious approach to celebrating. Eating year old cake is bizarre, said the girl who semi-recently ate expired funfetti icing, straight out of the canister with a spoon. 

I feel like a school teacher for saying this, but these were really really good, and some even very imaginative questions. You all get gold stars in class today and as a reward I'll let you watch a video instead of listening to me lecture. For the record, I copied and pasted every question, exactly as it was asked, and I did my best to thoroughly answer them. I also included the person's name and blog link under the question that they asked me! So, off we go, this is a long one #thatswhatshesaid.

Helene 

I have to say my biggest inspiration/light bulb aha! moment happened when I discovered the Londoner's blog a few months ago. A great way to be successful and easily develop content as a lifestyle blogger is to take the everyday ordinary situations, and make them extraordinary. What is the Londoner doing in all actuality? Well, she is really just eating dinner. But the way she paints a picture for her readers makes you feel like you are there, on an adventure in her glamorous life. Is my life that glamorous? Holy no Batman. But for example, this post, was inspired by taking ordinary, and making it into entertainment. 

I started the blog after a few months of living in Dallas. I won't sugarcoat it, I was really depressed and downright lonely, but I think I've tried to be very open in my struggles of transitioning in a new city. Blogging is entertainment for me. As an only child, Sagittarius combo, I really require constant entertainment, and blogging gives me something fun to do and something to look forward to each day! Heck, it even pushes me to go do things I don't want to do because, well, I said I was going to on the blog. Can't back out now! #VTIMbebrave 

THANK YOU ERIN! To answer your question, I am embarrassed by the amount of time I spend on my posts. But once I get started, I can't stop until everything is uniform, pictures are sized, there is a graphic to pin the post to Pinterest and everything looks presentable. That is very weird because I am NOT a perfectionist, and one of my biggest weaknesses is my lack of attention to detail, something I am working on! Slowly, working on.

Kristen

So I grew up playing basketball, literally year round. I don't think anyone is shocked to hear this news. We would travel all over the east coast for tournaments, and each year, the national girl's basketball tournament was held in Florida. We were in the elimination game, win or go home. Long story short, I hit a 3 pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. It was hilarious because if you watch the video, I didn't react at all. Just stood there looking totally bummed out, while all the girls around me were jumping like they were on pogo sticks. Reason for this? I thought we were down by 4, not three. I remember thinking, ah well, at least I made my last shot! We went on to lose in overtime, but that is neither here nor there. 

When you are named Sarah Webb, every meal is a lazy meal, because well, I do not cook! So Lean Cuisine pizza or Pizza Hut delivery! Anything involving pizza will suffice!

 Jess

Kentucky. This is highly illogical, but that is my answer. And if Tennessee ever gets to the National Championship in either basketball or football, someone will probably need to put me in a straight jacket because I will be bat shit crazy. 

Kate

I have never been to Little Rock. Let's do it! I'm always up for adventures. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, Little Rock is road trip distance from Dallas? No? 

 Ganeeban

You need to be smart when looking for a blog designer. There are lots of great designers at every price point, but the more important thing is to get a designer that has a style you are looking for. I really think this post I wrote a while back regarding choosing a blog designer will help with your decision! 

Hill

I am a firm believer that you should not post just to check "write blog post" off your daily to do list. So if I'm uninspired, I don't post. Also, if I don't have the proper amount of time to dedicate to a post, I also do not post. When I'm uninspired, I write that day off as a loss and focus on the next days post. Oh, and I actually often go back to this link up for inspiration! 

  

Lindsay   

Visit every single major league baseball stadium. Eight down, 22 to go!

 Meghan

After getting to ride in a Nascar car for three laps, then attending my first race a couple of months ago, I LOVE IT. I really can't stand not knowing what is going on in a sport *cough* hockey, soccer *cough* it makes me feel so dumb. So once I figured out the strategy, kept my eye on the lead car and understood what made people get all riled up (the wrecks, lead changes), I really got into it and enjoyed myself. And yes, it is totally a sport. 

Venti iced coffee with nonfat milk! How boring was that?!

Kaylee

Living in my own apartment!! No roommates to be considerate of, no need to consider anyone else's decor tastes. It was all my own space for me to get to do with what I pleased! And often times, what I please, is not to make my bed, like, at all. 

Cassidy

First, start with this post for cover letter tips! PR is a tough field to break into. I majored in PR and now I do nothing related to PR. I'm a big big big advocate of starting at the bottom and working your way up. When you are open to doing that, you in turn open a ton of possibilities, including even creating a position that may not already exist. The key is getting your foot in the door, and making it clear to potential employers that you are open to any available positions you may be a good fit for. Hiring is a pain in the butt for employers, and if the option existed, a company would much rather promote from within, so keep that in mind when searching Monster and LinkedIn! Foot in the door, work your butt off to get promoted to the job you want. 

 THANK YOU MANDI! This may be a disappointing answer, but I don't think there is any quick secret to growing your blog. I have a post called "Growing Your Blog FAST" that you may like. I think you need to do giveaways to gain followers, but then have killer content to keep them. By content, I don't only mean typed words, followed by more words, followed by more words. You've gotta entertain with a good mix of pictures and content.

I just did my best to formulate an answer to the first part of this question, so I'll take a stab at the second part. My mind is always thinking about blog posts. Once you free your mind of the idea that every blog post has to be some grand, unique, majestic idea that a greater power placed right in your hands, and your hands alone... you open up a world of possibilities. If you have an idea, write it down. It could be THE WORST IDEA EVER, but write it down. So often I have an idea for a blog post, I start writing it, and it then develops into something totally different. No such thing as a bad idea for a blog post.  

 Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. Yes yes yes yes yes. Can I say yes a few more times? Helene and I were talking about that just the other day. Stay tuned.

Chelsea 

Even more now. I got to go to the Kentucky Derby. Like, holy crap. I made a great friend, that lives in my city, that I just know I will do big things with one day. It is just so dang fun! I know a lot of people are embarrassed to tell friends outside of blogging that they blog, but not me. Heck, I lead with it, then offer help on starting a blog of their own! I think everyone should blog. Can you think of a better, more enthusiastic, more supportive community? Who wouldn't want to be proud to be a part of that?

 YES! I have two posts already written, they just need images made. I promise I will make them a priority and get em posted ASAP! I always love to hear suggestions for post ideas like this. Thank you!

General's full name is General Neyland. He is named after General Robert Neyland, the winningest coach in the history of the University of Tennessee's football program. Neyland Stadium, where the Vols play football, is named after General Neyland. The man, not my dog. My dog cannot hold 104,000 of my closest friends, but I am working on it.

When I got Veenie, her name was Snowflake. That just wasn't going to work for me. I got Veenie right about the time I started this blog, so I thought, what better to name her than Venus!

Emily

What came first, the dog or the blog? The blog name came first. It was actually a group effort trying to come up with the name, my mom, me and my grandma (Nan) were all sitting around thinking of ideas. When trying to decide on a name, we really weren't getting the RIGHT name ideas; Damsel in His Mess, Tomboy Meets Girl, 1st and Tension. Then I was sitting in the bathroom, where I do my best creative thinking, and Venus Trapped in Mars popped in my head and I knew that was it. The concept is, like you said, a girly girl stuck in a guys world and being forced to make the most of it, learn, adapt and thrive! 

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Thank you so much for sticking with me through a year of Fan Friday posts! I know sports talk is not for everyone, but when you are passionate about something, you need to stick with it, and be proud of that-- regardless of what anyone else thinks or feels on the topic! 

<div align="center"> <a href="http://www.venustrappedinmars.com" title="Venus Trapped in Mars"><img src="http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae274/venustrappedinmars/fanfriday.jpg" alt="Venus Trapped in Mars" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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